In Football, as it is for any discipline, success is never the result of chance, but it is always the result of a long process, combined with repetition. Success is the acomplishment of a sequence of stages towards a specific goal. This is exactly what Cristiano Ronaldo thinks, who according to him, a successful career must necessarily go through seven stages.

Thus, we will see through this article, the seven major stages of success in football, according to Cristiano Ronaldo.

1) Believe in Yourself

Many players dream of having a great career, joining huge clubs, winning plenty of titles in their professional career, but in many cases that is unlikely to happen. Why? Because success can be scary at first and many players do not believe enough in themselves, in their qualities or in the possibility of them accomplishing great things.

To achieve success on and off the field, you must believe in yourself and « fight » to achieve your dreams. You may not be aware of it, but Cristiano Ronaldo’s major asset is definitely self-confidence. Indeed, he is not afraid of setting big goals, but on the contrary, establishing very high goals is a great motivator for him.

 

2) Work Hard

Many say that they are ready to succeed, but very few are enthusiastics about doing the necessary work to achieve it. However, one can not go without the other: work and success belong to the same family. And that is what Cristiano Ronaldo understood very early on in his career.

Indeed, he is widely recognized and respected for his work ethic, which sets him apart from other players on the pitch. However, his results did not appear overnight, but were the result of a long process, a complex routine and immense dedication.

C. Ronaldo is a player who always gives himself 100%, whether in training or during games. He trains until the last effort (Be careful to not fall into overtraining).

 

3) Say to yourself that you are the best

The most important thing here is not what people take as being the truth, but what is true to you. For Cristiano Ronaldo, it is abslolutely logical. It’s even an obligation: to become and get recognized as the best player at your position, you must first strongly believe that you are the best!

This mentality has been one of the major asset and secret of the legendary boxer, Mohammed Ali. Like C. Ronaldo, he used to practice what is called: auto-suggestion. It consists of repeating an affirmation, until we are convinced of it. Then, it has huge chances to manifest itself in the physical world.

 

4) Never let the critics beat you down

Take criticism as something normal. Indeed, even if they are rarely associated with something pleasent, critics are an integral part of the footballer’s journey and life. Football is a highly publicized sport throughout the world, so this implies a greater number of potential amateurs (TV viewers, supporters, fans, etc.) and consumers (number of professionals and amateurs licensees in constant growth) of this discipline.

Thus, the more the Football image will expand (thanks to the increase of social media and other social networks, in particular), the more likely you will be criticized. A good piece of advice to take into account here would be to not take criticism personally, but to use it to move forward, as the famous quote says: « What does not kill you makes you stronger. »

 

5) Always set goals

Your ability to set high goals for yourself is what will lead you to the top. And the level of your goals is what will allow you to stay there. This is Cristiano Ronaldo’s mindset, who according to him, staying at the « top level » is the most difficult thing. The priority here is to be able to set goals that will challenge yourself and not to impress others.

Your purpose will always be stronger than your outside world. If the goals that you have set for yourself are not high enough, you are much more likely to be subject to external distractions, temptations, or solicitations. These will take you away from your goals and may even be detrimental to your career.

 

6) Be very professional and always look for improving yourself during trainings

It’s not a secret to anyone to say that Cristiano Ronaldo is a very hard worker, who is constantly striving to get better and better. For him, there is a big difference between going to training to train and training to become better.

Thus, C. Ronaldo shows great professionalism during his training sessions and devotes 100% of his time to become a better player than he was the last training before. It should be remembered that many of C. Ronaldo’s teammates (whether in his seasons at Manchester United, Real Madrid or Juventus of Turin), were remarkably surprised by his great professionalism: He is always the first to arrive and the last to leave the training (We are talking about several hours before and after the collective training).

C. Ronaldo trains intensely and individually, before and after the group sessions. This can include work with and without the ball, cardio, muscular reinforcement, bodybuilding…

So, during trainings, leave everything that is not related to football aside, forget and turn away from any distractions and focus 100% on your training.

 

7) Be optimistic

Everyone goes through difficulties and it is quite normal to not be fine at some points in our life. However, having a positive spirit and mindset will contribute to self-fulfillment, promote well-being, which will greatly influence your performance on the pitch.

Thus, the quality of the relationships that you are surrounded by (family, friends, professional relationships, etc.) must be as healthy as possible and allow you to get closer to the top and not to limit or prevent you from achieving your goals.

So, to Cristiano Ronaldo, the three most importants points that you have to remember in order to have an awesome career and remain at the top as long as possible, are:

1- Be Optimistic

2- Be the most professional possible

3- Work Hard

 

Did you like these Cristiano Ronaldo’s secrets? Let me know!

Photo Source: Jim Pop